ALbeit we know, that the people of God in
all ages have been cruelly persecuted & maliciously
reviled, by Apostates from & enemies
to the Truths of our Lord Jesus Christ; yet
such hard usage & virulent reproachings, hath not
(at least ought not to have) abated the zeal of tender
hearted Christians, in the prosecution of holy &
commanded duties. Therefore, as hitherto (through
Grace assisting) we have not been driven to lay aside
necessary obliging Duties, because of the viperous
threatenings of men, who are given up of a Holy &
wise God to lay out all their might & power, for promoving
a course of wicked profanity, by virulent
persecution & ignominious Calumnies (to all of
whom nevertheless that are reconcilable unto
God we heartily wish Eternal salvation) So we Declare
our firm resolution of constant Adherence to
our Covenants & engagements, whereby we are
bound to have common friends & foes with our Covenanted
Reformation, & to look upon what is done
to one as done to all of us; And also our unanimous
adherence to our faithful Declarations, wherein
we have disowned the authority of Charles Stewart
(not authority of God’s institutions, either among
Christians or Heathens) & all authority depending
upon him, for reasons given elsewhere (Disclaiming
all such things as infer a magistratical relation betwixt
him & us) And wherein also we have Declared
war against him & his accomplices, such as lay out
themselves to promote his wicked & hellish designs.
Therefore, that therein our mind may be the more
clearly understood, & for preventing further mistakes
anent our purposes, We do hereby jointly &
unanimously Testify & declare; that as we utterly
detest and abhor that hellish principle of killing all
who differ in judgment or persuasion from us, it having
no bottom upon the word of God or right reason;
so we look upon it as a duty binding upon us,
to publish openly unto the world, That, forasmuch
as we are firmly & really purposed not to injure or
offend any whomsoever, but to pursue the ends of
our Covenants, in standing to the defence of our
glorious work of Reformation, & of our own lives:
yet (we say) we do hereby declare unto all, that
whosoever stretch forth their hands against us, while
we are maintaining the Cause & Interest of Christ
against his enemies, in defence of the Covenanted
Reformation; By shedding our blood actually, either
by authoritative Commanding, such as bloody
Counsellors (bloody, we say, insinuating clearly
by this & other Adjective Epithets, an open distinction,
betwixt the cruel & blood-thirsty, & the
more sober & moderate) Especially that (so called)
Justiciary, General of forces, Adjutants, Captains,
Lieutenants, & all in Civil, & Military
power, who make it their work to embrue their
hands in our blood; or by obeying such Commands,
such as bloody Militia men, malicious Troopers,
soldiers, & Dragoons; likewise such gentlemen &
Commons, who through wickedness & ill will ride
& run with the foresaid persons to Lay search for us;
or who deliver up any of us into their hands to the
spilling of our blood; By enticing morally, or stirring
up enemies to the taking away of our Lives, such
as designedly and purposedly advise, counsel, & encourage
them to proceed against us to our utter extirpation;
By informing against us wickedly, wittingly,
& willingly, such as viperous & malicious
Bishops & Curates, & all such sort of Intelligencers,
who lay out themselves to the effusion of our blood,
together with all such, as, in obedience to the enemies
their Commands, at the sight of us, raise the
hue & cry after us; yea & against all such, as, compearing
before the adversaries their courts upon their
demand, delate us & any who befriend us, to their
& our extreme hazard & suffering: We say, All
& every one of such shall be reputed by us Enemies
to God & the Covenanted work of Reformation,
& punished as such according to our power & the
degree of their offence; chiefly if they shall continue
after the publication of this our declaration, obstinately
& habitually, with malice to proceed against
us any of the foresaid ways; not at all exeeming from
present punishment, such as formerly have been
chief ringleaders & obstinate offenders; And withal
leaving room for Civil & Ecclesiastick satisfaction
before Lawful & settled judicatories, for the
offences of such persons as our power at this time
cannot reach, or the degree of [their] punishment according
to their offences is hard for us to be determined.
Finally we do hereby declare that we Abhor, condemn,
& discharge any personal attempts, upon
any pretext what somever, without previous deliberation,
common or competent consent, without
certain probation by sufficient witnesses, the guilty
person’s Confession, or the notourness of the deeds
themselves. Inhibiting also & discharging any of our
Emissaries whom soever, to stretch forth their hands
beyond the certainly known degrees of any of the foresaid
persons their offences.

Now let not any think (our God assisting us) we
will be so slack handed in time coming, to put matters
in execution, as heretofore we have been, seeing
we are bound faithfully & valiantly to maintain our
Covenants & the Cause of Christ: Therefore let all
these foresaid persons be admonished of their hazard.
And particularly all ye Intelligencers, who by your
voluntary Informations endeavour to render us up to
the enemies’ hands, that our blood may be shed: for
by such courses ye both endanger your immortal
souls, if repentance prevent not, seeing God will
make inquisition for shedding the precious blood of
his saints, whatever be the thoughts of men, And also
your bodies, seeing ye render yourselves actually &
maliciously guilty of our blood, whose innocency
the Lord knoweth: However, we are Sorry at our
very hearts, that any of you should choose such
courses, either with bloody Doeg [1 Sam. 22,] to shed our blood,
or with the flattering Ziphites [1 Sam. 23.19; 26.1,] to inform persecutors
where we are to be found. So we say again, we desire
you to take warning of the hazard that ye incur,
by following such courses: for the sinless necessity
of self-preservation, accompanied with holy zeal
for Christ’s reigning in our Land & suppressing of
profanity, will move us not to let you pass unpunished.
Call to your rememberance, All that is in
peril is not lost, & all that is delayed is not forgiven.
Therefore expect to be dealt with as ye deal
with us, so far as our power can reach; not because
we are acted by a sinful Spirit of revenge for private
& personal injuries; but mainly because, by our
fall Reformation suffers damage; yea the power of
Godliness, through ensnaring flatteries & terrible
threatening, will thereby be brought to a very low
ebb, the consciences of many more Dreadfully surrendered,
& profanity more established & propagated.

And as upon the one hand we have here declared
our purposes anent malicious injurers of us; so upon
the other hand, we do hereby Beseech and obtest,
All you who wishes well to Zion, to shew your good
will towards us, by acting with us, & in your
places & stations, according to your ability counselling,
encouraging, & strengthening our hands, for
this great work of holding up the standard of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Think not that in any ways ye
are called to lie by neutral & indifferent, especially
in such a day; for we are a people by holy Covenants
Dedicated unto the Lord, in our persons, Lives,
Liberties, & fortunes, for defending & promoving
this glorious work of Reformation, notwithstanding
all opposition that is or may be made thereunto,
yea, & sworn against all neutrality & indifferency
in the Lord’s matters: And moreover we are
fully persuaded, that the Lord, who now hideth
his face from the house of Jacob will suddenly appear,
& bring Light out of darkness, & perfect
strength out of weakness, And cause judgement to
return again to righteousness.

Thus having declared our deliberated, Lawful,
& necessary purposes, concerning this matter; In order
to the publication of the same, we do hereby
statute & ordain that upon the eighth day of November
copies of this our Declaration be affixed upon
a sufficient & competent number of the publick mercat
Crosses of the respective burghs, & of the patent
doors of the respective kirks within this Kingdom.

Given at upon the 28 October 1684.

Let King Jesus reign, & all his enemies be
Scattered.

[ This text is presented above as it was published in the original 1687 Informatory Vindication;
which may be considered the most authentic available, being published by those who adhered to the declaration.
Minor corrections of errors and adjustments to the spelling of some words have been made.
This and other Declarations were adhered to afterward by the United Societies, as they explain in
their Informatory Vindication, "for the matter, substance, & scope of them,
as accommodated to the times wherein they were exhibited, according as we explain
them afterward, Head 2."—JTKer. ]